1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates vanity cabinets used to support plumbing fixtures in residential and commercial environments.
2. Description of the Related Art
Large residential and commercial communities such as large apartment complexes often face an endless routine of fixture repair and replacement. In a transient community such as in a college town where people often stay in their leased apartments for relatively short periods of time, fixture (cabinets, vanities, table tops, etc.) repair and replacement have become time consuming and costly activities. Apartment complexes, for example, often have to employ maintenance crews that are tasked with rotating through a set of apartments to repair and replace damaged and destroyed kitchen cabinets, bathroom vanities, etc. to ensure that apartments may be rented and sold after current tenants leave their tenancies.
The problems faced by community operators often are compounded by the realities associated with managing transient communities. For example, it is well known that people often do not care for rented homes and apartments as they would if they owned the same. As such, people are less like likely to care when substances such as water, household cleaners and other liquids come into contact with the surfaces of bathroom vanities and the like. And, when such substances are allowed to remain on the surfaces of bathroom vanities, for example, mold, mildew, and other deteriorating effects can occur. Since many structures like bathroom vanities are constructed from wood (e.g., particle board, composite woods, etc.) and the like, such deteriorating effects are compounded as woods will quickly rot and decay.
To combat the management headaches and costs associated with fixture repair and replacement and to minimize the deteriorating effects caused as a result of wear and tear, operators of apartment complexes, for example, have resorted to applying thick coats of paint to fixture surfaces, replacing broken and rotten parts, and have engaged in routine, costly replacement whether needed or not. As such, operators of large communities have not been successful at minimizing costs associated with fixture preservation and the like.
Thus, there exists a need to provide new and improved dwelling fixtures (e.g., bathroom vanities, etc.) that are constructed of durable materials that can stand the test of time and excessive wear and tear. Such new and improved fixtures need be constructed from materials that will withstand prolonged contact with water and other substances (e.g., liquids, etc.) that have not been tolerated by structures made from conventional materials like wood. To be viable, such new and improved fixtures need to be constructed from materials that will allow operators of apartment complexes, for example, to establish and maintain aesthetic plans for the benefit of tenants and the like.
The present invention addresses the limitations and problems associated with the related art by providing a vanity cabinet that is constructed from a plastic material. Such a vanity cabinet (hereinafter xe2x80x9cvanityxe2x80x9d) will provide certain benefits not hereto realized by prior vanity cabinet structures. For example, a vanity constructed in accordance with the present invention is by its very nature water resistant which, in turn, makes the same safe from harmful effects often caused by water and other liquids (e.g., mold, mildew, etc.). Additionally, a vanity constructed in accordance with the present invention is lighter than prior vanities that are typically constructed from wood and the like. Such lighter construction allows a vanity according to the present invention to be more easily shipped and assembled. And, because plastic material is used to construct a vanity in accordance with the present invention a wide variety of finishes such as paint, laminates, print images (e.g., screen printed images), or other coverings (e.g., adhered image bearing sheets of material) may be easily applied to suit particular aesthetic requirements.
The present achieves the stated benefits by providing a new and novel vanity for use in bathrooms, for example, which is constructed from a plastic material and method for making the same. The vanity includes a base having two side walls, a bottom member forming a shelf inside the base, a rear brace member, a front brace member, and a front opening disposed between the front brace member and the bottom member. The two side walls, the bottom member, the rear brace member, and the front brace member are constructed from a plastic material. The vanity also includes a door swingably mounted to the base and is configured to cover the front opening. The door, like the base is constructed from the plastic material. The vanity also has a top opening disposed at the top thereof which is configured to receive a sink top.
The present is discussed in detail below with regard to the attached drawing figures which are next described.